Existing law governs contracting between state agencies and private contractors, and sets forth requirements for the procurement of materials, supplies, equipment, and services, and the acquisition of information technology goods and services by state agencies. This bill would require a bidder’s record of environmentally preferable purchasing, as defined, to be a factor in awarding a contract under a request for proposal, as specified.

About Green Ray LED Lighting

Green Ray LED was founded with the express purpose of becoming the world leader in commercial grade LED lighting. We design and manufacture affordable LED lighting solutions in response to the global demand for environmentally friendly and cost effective energy products. We strive to set the standard in product quality and value, while offering an excellent working environment for our employees around the world.

SoCo Nexus is a broad reaching and fast-growing innovation community focused on empowering growth oriented businesses and startups throughout the North Bay.

SoCo Nexus is presently focused on four sectors of the North Bay business ecosystem: sustainable resources, medical technology, cloud based technology, and manufacturing. At the same time, businesses at every stage of development and in any area of the economy are welcome and encouraged to join this exciting business community.

SoCo Nexus serves companies through a collection of programs and services that include expandable and scalable office and/or manufacturing space, resources for the pursuit of available funding, educational opportunities, mentoring and business connections.

SoCo Nexus is located at the heart of Sonoma Mountain Village, North America’s first One Planet Community. If you care about sustainability and want to be a part of an eco-conscious community, you’re in the right place!

Amee Sas

Executive Director - SoCo Nexus

Amee is the Executive Director of SoCo Nexus, a broad reaching and fast-growing innovation community focused on empowering growth oriented businesses and startups throughout the North Bay. Amee is an entrepreneur with over 10 years of experience in Real Estate, Investments and start-up companies throughout the North Bay. She believes that the area is uniquely positioned to foster a wide ranging business culture that can do well by doing good and she is honored to be part of the conversation.

The presentation begins with a brief explanation of the disheartening statistics about the health of our kids. DirectionFive is founded on the principles that if kids are a part of the process, they will be part of the solution-solutions that are education based and will last a lifetime. Our five programs are based on what kids from across the country told us they want to learn in combination with the information we know they must learn to live healthier lives, while having a healthy dose of fun in the process!

DirectionFive is a Culinary and Nutrition Program for Kids

Our programs are based on in-depth interviews with kids from all walks of life, in thirty-five states. We listened to what the kids said they wanted and needed to learn in order to lead healthier, happier lives. We balanced their input with science and our experience. DirectionFive Culinary and Nutrition Program is a new model of health education inspired by kids, for kids.

Victorian Farmstead is a free range ranch and Christmas tree farm, visible from Mill Station Road and Highway 116 in Sebastopol, CA. Passersby often stop and watch the sheep and chickens, turkeys and miniature horses grazing in the pastures! Locals all recognize the beautiful Victorian house and outbuildings that Adam’s grandparents bought in 1972. Bob and Sally Parks took over the tree farm in 1992. Under their care it has grown into one of the finest Christmas Tree farms in Northern California. Now the third generation is continuing that tradition of quality for what we produce!

Adam and Laura Parks took over the business operation of the farm in 2009, after Bob & Sally decided to retire. It was so important to Adam to continue the tradition his parents and grand parents had established that he convinved his city-slicker wife and kids to move to the farm.

The family farm is integral part of our history. Many consumers are finding that buying their food from local farmers not only supports their local economy, it also shrinks their carbon footprint and gives them comfort knowing where their food is from and how it is raised. Our goal at Victorian Farmstead is to raise all natural, pasture-fed meat, eggs and poultry that you can serve with pride and confidence!

The Art of Participatory Leadership is an intensive 3-day event where you will experience and practice a set of simple yet powerful processes for building community, facilitating powerful conversations, building strong partnerships and leading change. Come explore how to unleash our collective genius and build adaptive and leader-full communities.

We invite those engaged and committed to the many aspects of resilience to come together from Transition Towns, sustainability initiatives, local economy, permaculture communities, sustainable business, local food, healthy families, and more.

Our hope is to create powerful ways to learn together, build effective teams and partnerships that help us work better in our own communities, as well as invite others to build resilient communities. There’s an incredible amount of work going on in many different networks. We are thrilled to bring these powerful networks together..

Our intention is to work together to build capacity for the next evolution of work in the North Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, and Northern California. We also invite passionate friends from other areas who want to learn with us and create transformative change.

Rooted in the Four Fold practice of the Art of Hosting, this event teaches a participative approach for leading, convening, and engaging groups. The practice begins with being present and hosting one’s self, from there we participate in learning conversations, hosting and convening conversations, and co-creating (initiatives, change, teams, etc).

Why Art of Hosting?

Connect with other leaders of the sustainability and resilience movements and explore how we can work more powerfully together.

Broaden the skillset within your group, work more effectively and enjoyably together, engage teams, organizations, and community stakeholders in meaningful conversations that promote resilience, belonging, innovation, and contribution.

Enhance our skills and abilities to work with complexity, develop chaordic confidence, face challenges that don’t have solutions, use wise process planning architectures for small and large scale initiatives, and host strategic conversations over time.

Imagine and plan for how we can use these practices in our individual and collective work in the months and years ahead. Grow your hosting practice and try something new!

Valley End Farm has supplied Sonoma County with USDA Certified organic produce since 1996. Our farm is nestled in the beautiful hills of Santa Rosa. Sharon Grossi and her son, Clint, take pride in running the largest organic produce farm in Sonoma County. No harmful chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides are used. When biting into the produce, you are biting into pure health nothing else. It couldn’t be fresher unless you picked it from your own garden.

Sharon and Clint grow a wide variety of produce on their 70 acres of land. The water at the farm comes from deep down in an uncontaminated aquifer. The rich adobe soil gives our produce a richer better flavor that has been proven time after time. Our tomatoes have a deep rich flavor that is unsurpassed.

We take the stewardship of the soil and your health very seriously. That is why we use compost that uses recycled food waste and no manure. This will insure you that our produce is always safe.

Our soil and plants are cared for by our experienced crew. Everything is carefully handpicked only when it is at its peak of ripeness and flavor. We take great pride in offering our very best to you. We continue to strive to always have the best flavor while offering a wide variety of produce.

In order to support the local community, Valley End Farm is pleased to continue our established Community Supported Agriculture program.

Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic organization that supports a bio diverse sustainable food supply, local producers, heritage foodways, and rediscovery of the pleasures of the table. Carlo Petrini founded Slow Food as a response to the opening of a McDonald's in Rome's historic Piazza di Spagna in 1986. Since then, Slow Food has grown in to a international movement with more than 80,000 members in 130 countries world wide.

Slow Food Russian River is one of 150 convivia in the USA to carry out the Slow Food mission at the local level. We support and promote the food traditions that are part of the cultural identity of this country. Please join us as we work to celebrate and sustain the agricultural and culinary traditions of people around the world. Check our our local Programs.

Our Convivium brings people together to enjoy the pleasures of life while promoting and protecting the artisanal producers of food and wine within the greater region of the Russian River watershed. Essential to this purpose is the protection and enhancement of the natural environment, the foundation upon which our artisans practice their craft. The Convivium also works with other convivia from our region, the nation and planet to support Slow Food projects worldwide.

The U.S. Green Building Council Redwood Empire Chapter (USGBC-REC) is part of a national network of approximately 77 Chapters throughout the United States.

This volunteer organization extends primarily along the Northern California Coast, just north of San Francisco to the Oregon border, and is composed of leaders from every sector of the building industry working to promote buildings and communities that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. A vast region of grass root innovators, the Redwood Empire Chapter spans seven counties including Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte. This unique region is the proud home to internationally recognized, award winning wines of the California Wine Country.

The Redwood Empire Chapter Mission promotes environmental responsibility, economic vitality, and vibrant healthy lifestyles through education and public awareness; which in turn directly benefits local communities and future generations. Becoming a Chapter Member supports this much needed and worthy mission, while offering a valuable opportunity to LEARN, CONNECT, AND CONTRIBUTE.

The all-volunteer efforts are led by Board Directors who serve two-year terms and oversee Chapter policy and operations; while Leadership Team Members collaborate and contribute to the development of individual events and projects on behalf of the Redwood Empire community. All Chapter members are welcome to join the Leadership Team with participation levels set on projects of your choosing as your time allows.

We assist large apartment communities in California in diverting their waste from the landfills. We do this by picking up each resident's waste, recycling & composting at their doorstep, enabeling us to ensure proper separation of waste from recycling. In addition, we provide each resident with a small compost pail for them to separate out the organic waste. We also educate each resident about the importance of reycling and composting through ongoing newsletters, etc. In addition, we provide a quarterly bulky item & e-waste collection at each apartment community and deliver the items where they can be properly disposped. With this full-service waste management, we hope to bring the best sustainable waste solutions to the apartment industry.

Litwin Consulting specializes in Permaculture, Politics and Cannabis policy. Working politically for nearly two decades in Sonoma County, Craig Litwin, Principal, has run dozens of local campaigns for local elected officials and ballot measures. His specialty is grassroots fundraising and political organizing. This last election, he worked to help elect Susan Gorin for Supervisor, Erin Carlstrom for Santa Rosa City Council, and Robert Jacob for Sebastopol City Council.

Craig also works to promote the local food movement and currently serves as the Director of Community and Government Relations for the Permaculture Skills Center, a five acre site near the Laguna in South Sebastopol that focuses on teaching community members how to model permaculture design and make money restoring the land. Additionally, Litwin Consulting specializing in cannabis policy reform, has worked throughout California modeling sound medical cannabis policy regulations that work for citizens and government, and is also part of the State-wide effort to legalize adult recreational cannabis slated to be on the California ballot in 2014 or 2016.

SocialElements is a social media marketing group operating in the heart of West Sonoma County. We partner with local businesses to bring to life their social media presence through thoughtful planning, strategic content and engagement.

About UsEarthRise, the retreat and education center of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), is one of Northern California’s premier educational and experiential retreat centers. It began in 2000 as a gathering place for thought leaders and educators in fields that promote interconnection, healing, and transformation to share their knowledge. Its 194 acres of oak-covered hills, located at the border of Marin and Sonoma counties, offer the ideal setting for learning, introspection, and growth.

The CenterFive meeting rooms, lodging for up to 120 guests, hiking trails, hot tub, meditative labyrinth, garden, and areas for quiet reflection are just some of the features that combine with professional services, gracious staff, and acclaimed cuisine to nurture and sustain presenters and guests in the transformative work that takes place here.

SustainabilityEarthRise Center has completed 94% of the requirements for Marin County Green Business Certification, and is well into the planning and development of entirely “green” replacement lodging. In collaboration with Healthy Buildings Technology Group of Napa, the new accommodations incorporate clean and renewable energy resources into the campus buildings and land; two of the units will be built on the property within the next few months.

Ways to Engage as a PresenterYou may contract meeting rooms, lodging, and meals for your event or workshop—it’s totally yours to organize, promote and facilitate. Or you may submit a proposal to offer a workshop sponsored by EarthRise and receive payment for your presentation.

Ways to Engage as a Participant or GuestThe workshop leaders we bring together — in fields such as scientific inquiry, psychology, education, health, philosophy, spirituality, personal growth, indigenous cultures, art, writing, music, and movement — offer remarkable opportunities for personal growth and transformation. We also offer many personal retreats in which guests can enjoy restful weekends supported by the land, the exceptional food, and the uncomplicated life at EarthRise.

The IONS/EarthRise StoryThe Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), founded in 1973 by astronaut Edgar Mitchell to research consciousness and inner knowing after his Moon walk and return to Earth put him in touch with a profound “inner knowing” of the interconnectedness of all life. For the past 40 years IONS has been a major influence on scientific inquiry, transformation of consciousness, and the evolution of perspectives in health and education. EarthRise Center is the Institute’s education and retreat center named in honor of Mitchell’s vision.